Sunday, August 19, 2012

Existence

I think, therefore I am.

A wonderful basis for the belief in
our own existence. But, what does the great philosopher Descartes
follow that up with? A "leap of faith" straight into
Judao-Christian belief structures. I, for one, do not believe that we
can trust anything that immediately deludes itself into believing
that our very existence, and sanity, are due to an omniscient and
all-powerful God.

Now. This isn't going to be a rant
going into the basics of philosophy or anything of the sort. Instead,
I'd like to propose the theory that people can trust in their own
existence without the power of God, to an extent.

Follow along with me, if you can. I
believe that thinking (therefore existing) is a good basis for our
trust in our own existence. I won't dispute this. However, we have to
reach a conclusion on the next step before we can move forward. And
while Descartes stuck God into the picture as a way of trusting that
a "Great Deceiver" is not just playing a trick on us, I
believe the leap to an equally illogical character is just as bad for
basic trust.

We DO have power. We are not helpless.
Or so we think. So, I present this as an alternative. We can assume
that our senses tell us what is real. For us. Because if what we
perceive matches with what we remember, then how can we detect the
falsehood of a varied existence? If we ARE bound in a reality of our
own imagining, we have been living there for a long time. It has
BECOME our reality, at that point. As such, we can assume (to an
extent) that we are real and that what we see, hear, taste, touch,
smell, and remember are all real as well. We have no other way of
proving or disproving what we have.

So. We take that assumption for
granted. It may not be 100% foolproof, but the other choices lead to
insanity. And we don't want to be locked up in our own minds, do we?
So we move forward.

The world of our memories and our
senses lead to many things. We perceive things differently than other
humans based on the filters that we have grown to trust. A white
couple comes into a crowded restaurant immediately behind a black
family with two children. But the white couple gets seated first. Is
this racism? Is it because the dining area had a small table in the
middle of the floor open up first? Did the white couple have an
appointment? Answer this (In your own mind. I can't hear you!), which
of these questions makes the most sense to you? Did you leap to a
conclusion after reading the description of the event?

These are the filters that we need to
be aware of in our lives. They are the power that our minds hold over
reality. Each of us, alone, may not be able to move mountains. But if
you get enough people behind the idea, that mountain DOES move.

It is up to the individual to look at
things that offend them. Or, maybe, that offend others. And to think
about WHY these various emotions are occurring. Is it something that
you feel is justified? Do you believe that others are looking at you
negatively because of how you react to various circumstances? If
there is a problem, it may not be with the other people involved. But
if it IS, it may not be something that they are consciously doing.

So, how do we change? (Or change
others?) This is the most difficult part of accepting that our minds
and our perceptions shape reality. We have to take responsibility for
the problems that surround us. Not by pointing out the flaws to
others. Because that type of action usually causes our "opponents"
to shut their minds to us. But instead, we need to talk to them.
Calmly. And try to find out if any of that fault lies in our own way
of thinking.

Can we change the world? Yes. But only
if enough humans (or projections, if Descartes was correct and there
IS a Great Deceiver out there!) are willing to take the time to
understand WHY something is a problem. And not just the fact that it
IS a problem.